Flooded Catholicism: Disaster and Prayer in Coastal Louisiana

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2019

Abstract

In 2016 a massive rain storm flooded over 75,000 structures throughout Louisiana, contributing to the deaths of thirteen people and transforming the lives of thousands of victims. A representative of the Red Cross described the event as "the worst [natural disaster] to hit the United States since Superstorm Sandy." Prayer during times of disaster is something to be expected. By listening to Catholics talk about praying and flooding in Louisiana, one can witness the breakdown of the Catholic Church's theological and devotional prescriptions for prayer. The multivalence and diversity of prayer is on display in the lives and memories of those who flooded, challenging the notion that there is some kind of distinctly Catholic imagination that equips Catholics with the wherewithal to navigate the natural and supernatural tumult of something like a flood.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Exchange

First Page

204

Last Page

213

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